Starla D. in the Q.C.
Debauchery Returns to the Q.C.
Things just seem to get better and better for the gay Charlotte nightlife. The economy may be weaker than John McCain’s campaign for presidency, but honey, the debauchery is alive and in full swing in our fabulous little city. Starving artists are putting together low-budget cabarets, the scene is serving me a feeling of excessive freedom, and more fundraisers lead by drag queens is the new “to-do” thing, once again. It’s amazing to me that when the economy starts to slow down, the Queen City seems to get more vibrant.
In honor of the counter-culture rising again, I want to take you to all of the events that are going to make your spine tingle from the over indulgence. I hope you have your bus pass and your best walking shoes, I’m broke, gas ain’t cheap, and neither is my drag!
Starting off in my “hood”, Plaza Midwood, there is a pirate themed bar named Snug Harbor, which gives refuge to a few of the most outrageous queens/ performance artists in Charlotte. Nasty/Shane always gives you an original cabaret filled with fantasy, reality, and tons of glitter props made from cardboard.
BethAnn Phetamine and Madame Lilith DeVille have been doing their best to make you gag at Scott Weaver’s Shiprocked every Thursday night, and it is free. Recently, Miss Deville not only gagged the audience, but gagged herself onstage, vomited in a cup, cheered the audience and then proceeded to drink her own throw up! NOW that’s what I call drag!
If you take a right on Gordon Street and then a left on Commonwealth Avenue, you will come to Petra’s Piano Bar and Lounge. Petra’s itself is going through a few renovations such as putting in a billiard room behind the main stage, a beer bar, a jukebox, another TV, and a fabulous new patio, which will be done by the last weekend in August. You can’t forget, Big Bother viewing parties happen every Wednesday at 8pm with light snack provided by Connie.
August 5th the incomparable Roxy C. Moorecox will be starting Trivia Tuesdays at Petra’s. Teams of four can signup any time before 7:30, prizes will go to the winning team.
August 10th is the premier cabaret of Trey, who I had the pleasure of catching up with. He expressed how excited he is to try a few new things with his show at Petra’s. Trey intends to have a live band on stage with him, mixing an eclectic musical set, as well as a few other surprises. Please be sure to go and see his show, I smell a star in the making!
Also, I know that it is early and usually the message doesn’t get out so freshly, but Gay Takeover, one of the QC’s best gay social groups, will be at Petra’s on August 29th. Be sure to get there early, the line should be ridiculous!
Let’s walk down Central Avenue to The New Central Station, where it can get pretty packed full of people. I heard their first show recently garnered hundreds of people who packed the place from wall to wall. Sounds to me like another hit show bar.
August 1st is a former Miss Everything, Amber Rochelle’s Birthday Party featuring some of her friends in the show that night.
August 9th, you will find a huge gala going on, which includes the bar’s 10 year anniversary! Happy Birthday Central Station! And it’s Eric and Tiffany Storm’s Birthdays, too! Happy, Happy Birthday to both of them as well!
August 16th, will be a Sex Toy party, (Got Toys?), from 7-9, with a phenomenal star studded show, the Sex Kitten Review, after the party. Sounds to me like the party just keeps going at the New Central Station.
August 22nd Angela Lopez, The Latina Goddess, will celebrate her 27th birthday with all of her cohorts. I’m sure this will turn out to be a fiesta you will never forget.
Don’t forget that Central Station offers a pool tournament every Tuesday and Thursday. For any booking information, please go in on Tuesday or Friday night and talk to Tiffany Storm, the show director/bar manager.
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Cutting through the old Charlotte Country Club, you will find Chasers, Charlotte’s “all male, all the time” strip club. Recently four porn stars from the ultra hot award-winning, brokestraightboys.com, made an appearance at the club. The house was pumping full of sex that night, let me tell you. Kiana Layne hosted the night, and even stripped the porn stars down to their undies at her command.
Don’t forget Kiesha Wellington’s “Lets Make a Deal”, on Thursday nights! Showtime is at 11:30 with $3 Jager shots and Icehouse beers.
Remember, on Sunday nights, Chasers has no cover at all! At 8 o’clock you can sit back and watch Boom Boom and Brandy’s Starlite Review featuring some of the hottest new girls in town like Venus, Jessica, Tricia, BeBe, and myself, Starla. If you are interested in performing please contact Boom Boom at Chasers.
Sabrina Love will be bringing her newly televised talk show “Queerview” back to Velocity for its third season. Peter Paige from Queer as Folk came for her season opener and even made a pop-in visit at our city’s Pride event.
Taking a brisk walk from Velocity to downtown, we come to the female infested (and now some men too) Hartigan’s. Hartigan’s has just reopened after a serious remodeling, and hopes to bring events to you that will tantalize your senses. August 1st and 2nd will be their “Official Grand Re-Opening Party” which will feature a Landshark Luau and a Tiki Bar with all sorts of drink specials the first night, and on the second night, all sorts of concert tickets ranging from Madonna to Kenny Chesney will be given away… I wonder how many people I have to shoot to get the tickets first!
Something that I am personally interested in seeing on August 8th at Hartigan’s, is the return of Mud Wrestling to Charlotte. Doors will open at nine o’clock and the first match starts promptly at 11… be there or be square!
August 15th is “Hot Flash Friday” with all of your old school, retro, and disco music being played by DJ Jill.
August 29th will mark the return of live music to Hartigan’s, as well as Crys Matthews who will be making the first night of live music breathtaking once again at the Irish pub we love.
Heading back to the side of town that I feel would be the perfect place for the new gay neighborhood, Moorehead and Freedom…yes, there is a pun intended! We homos are known to move into the ghettos and turn it in the most fabulous real-estate in the world; take the Castro, Chelsea, Boystown, and…does West Hollywood count?
But anyways, the point of the story is we have Scorpios on Freedom Drive. Scoprios is having the best month ever with the victorious return of Miss Gay NC America. I know this is my third month mentioning it, but it’s really a dream come true for me to see this legendary pageant restored to its glory. One thing I will miss seeing though is “Sex Kitten of the South” Tracy Morgan, the drag queen that pulled me off the stripper pole and told me drag would be a better choice for me. Tracy may not be there is person, but her spirit always will. Here’s to a fabulous pageant filled with glitz, glamour, and charm.
Catching the light rail to Bland Station we will cross South Boulevard for a delightful time at Liaisons. Kim, the owner, is extremely excited about all of the new things she has to offer this month. August 1st will bring in one of Charlotte’s hottest DJs, DJ Ghost, who will have you dancing like no other.
Double Feature Mondays will always be a hit. Hypothetically speaking, they will take a star like Barbra Streisand, for example, and play two of her movies like Funny Girl and Meet the Fockers. Who wouldn’t want to sit around, drink, and quote Miss Barbra!?!?
Also, Wednesdays are Project Runway night at Liaison’s. From what I hear Heidi’s taking the show to Lifetime next season, so maybe we’ll get to see the contestants have a real fight this year... be sure to be there! Kathy Griffin’s: My Life on the D-List is still shown on Thursdays.
One event that I’m super-duper excited about is “Liaison’s Gives Back: Beach Blast Party” when the proceeds that night will go the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. There will be a wet t-shirt contest, the beach will be brought all the way from Wilmington to the “Pink Ribbon House”, and the drag show at 10pm will feature Starla DaVinci and amigas. And all this fun will happen on August 30. Look for more details in OIA’s Come Out and Play newsletter. If you’re not on the list, go to www.outinasheville.com and sign up to get this fabulous weekly events and happenings update in your email box.
Catching the light rail down to Woodlawn we can hit up Sidelines first, where you can always find free pool, free wii, and free wi-fi.
Sidelines is celebrating their One Year Anniversary so please, go in and say thank you to John, Kevin, and the staff for a wonderful gay owned sports bar and billiards.
Next door to Sidelines is The Charlotte Eagle, the hottest leather bar in the south! And since my theme this month is debauchery, I have to drop about hint about the steamiest party coming to Charlotte this month. The ManHunt.net 7 Sexy Sins Tour will be making a stop at the Charlotte Eagle sometime in August and Ricky Sinz of Raging Stallion Studios will be part of the action. There will also be gift bags, door prizes, and an evening’s worth of debauchery. I’ll make sure Stephanie Sinclair keeps you informed of the date and details in Come Out and Play as they are confirmed.
Don’t miss out on the free dance lessons every Wednesday with bartender Danny. Barber Russ is in The Eagle Chop Shop every Friday and Saturday, I hear the service in his chair is remarkable!
Nikki Eaves, one of the best Barbara impersonators, hosts her show at the Charlotte Eagle on August 24th.
Roxy C. Moorcox, hosts her game show “Hollywood Squares” on the last Sunday of every month. To date she has raised over $1700 for The House of Mercy. Be sure to go out and support Roxy so we can get some money to those nuns who unconditionally give their love to patients dying of HIV/AIDS related illnesses.
Speaking of Roxy and the great things she does, she will be host the “Lets make a deal for the HRC,” which will be a fabulous dinner and a show at Alley Cat on August 26th. For more info on Roxy and all of her events, check out her website at www.funnydragqueen.com
Swing up 485 and on to 85 towards Little Rock Rd. where The Woodshed is up to all sorts of troubles these days. Don’t forget to wear you boxers out to The Woodshed every Thursday for free admission, also with 75cent domestics and $1.50 house drinks.
August 30th at the Woodshed is fetish night. This month’s theme is superheroes in tights! I bet you’ll see a bulge or two there that night.
Please remember that the patio bar is now open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at the Woodshed.
Our Last stop is probably the only place, the bus and light rail will not take us, and it’s all the way in Gastonia off 321, at 420 W. Main Street, we have Night Owls of Gastonia. Night Owls is one of the leading pageant bars in the Charlotte-Metro area. Congrats to my sister Allura Foxx who just won the title of Miss Firecracker. Brandonna Dupree and her sister Brooke Divine have also been winning pageants, Brandonna is your new Miss Summer Fun Blast and Brooke Divine just won Miss Augusta. YAY for the Charlotte girls!
Miss Gastonia Newcomer is scheduled for August 14 and Miss Leo Pageant will be August 28. There’s still time to enter both of these pageants, just go to www.nightowlsofgastonia.com.
Whew! Child, I’m tired, my bus pass has expired from that long expedition that I just took you on, and most of all I guess I’m going to have to hitchhike my way back to east charlotte, or as close as I can get to at least… you know usually, drag queens don’t hitchhike unless you’re on 36th Street next to Chasers, but that’s another kind of story.
Until next time be sure to check out the calendar on my MySpace, www.myspace.com/lambdarevolution, for more information. And sign up for OIA’s Come Out and Play so you’ll never be in the dark after dark again, and so you don’t miss any of the fun and debauchery either.
Best Wishes,
Starla DaVinci
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